Emergency Preparedness Works!

West Pier’s Court Mast was driving up 101 recently when he saw a disabled car sideways in the right lane near the San Pedro Rd. exit—a very dangerous situation. In his cell phone, Court had stored an emergency number, which he promptly dialed. His call was patched through to the CHP. Within one and a half minutes after he saw the incident, the CHP promised to dispatch a cruiser to the scene. “So,” says Court, “being prepared makes a huge difference when emergencies happen!”

Here are important contact numbers for contacting Sheriff’s deputies and firefighters. At least the first number should be programmed into everyone’s speed dial:

Marin fire or police emergency: 415-472-0911
Non-emergency for Marin County Sheriff: 415-479-2311
Marin County Sheriff’s boat (onboard): 415-601-7657

In addition to emergency response, Sheriff’s deputies will check on your home or property while you are away, for up to 30 days at a time. On their website,  you can fill out a request form which must be submitted at least two business days prior to your departure.

Sheriff’s deputies encourage floating home residents to report suspicious activities. The more they hear from us, the more they will patrol our neighborhood. And firefighters from the Marin City substation are very willing to provide inspections and fire drills on our docks.

Of course, we also need to be self-sufficient in the event of a major emergency, such as an earthquake. That’s why the Floating Homes Association sponsors Community Emergency Response Training (CERT) for residents. The Southern Marin CERT program will send notices of ongoing trainings to existing CERTS.  If you’d like to get CERT-ified, be sure you’re subscribed to this newsletter, and look for announcements of new CERT trainings.

post by Larry Clinton